Mee Pok Tah Mai Hiam is a 37 year old Singaporean guy. This blogsite shares his views on his loves, pet peeves and basically any day-to-day stuff. He hopes this will help you see the lighter side of life's challenges and realise that life is good.

Some of us could be following one another, and started to bring in hot food stuff to consume in the work station.This results in the following:

1) A food court smell in the office.

2) We're breeding flies in the office (reason why we need to do a quick clean up in the next 2 weekends)

The standard set in this office and limit to consume is up to burgers and sandwiches, blah blah blah......Avoid consuming food in the workstation as any spill is going to affect work flow, the waste bin is for papers and not waste food.Your kind cooperation is needed ie. please do not bring in or cook hot stuff like curry soup in this office. blah blah blah......

ST Forum published my letter "More gantries with more cars on the road" on XXth XXXX 2005.In that letter, I expressed my disenchantment of how LTA is mis-managing the COE system by not restricting but increasing the number of cars on the roads.LTA responded with a series of non-committal statements that did not address the congestion issue.A year has passed and it is evident that having more ERP gantries and raising ERP rates is not the solution to our traffic congestion woes.

ERP is a means to address a symptom of a problem.The problem is, even the LTA spokesperson agreed in the September 25th 2006 article, there has been a surge in the number of cars on the roads.My question to LTA, again, is how does LTA propose to ease congestion by making the COE system work effectively (to regulate the number of cars on the roads) without the ERP system?

My group has good shooters, mediocre shooter and bobo-shooters (those who can shoot an overweight elephant from 5m).

We marginally passed our day shoot 70%.

3 of us shot > 90% and 3 were absolutely bobos.

We gathered after the shoot before our results were announced.

Meepok: "i think i got 14 out of 15. na beh. missed a perfect score."

Chee (the storeman who was a bobo): "na beh. si peh lucky. i managed to get one shot out of 15."

Bobo2 (lawyer, in Queen's English accent): "Good Lord and Na beh. i fired all 15 rounds. but i shot the target in the wrong lane."

Our strategy became clear.

The bobos were to take the lanes with the easiest targets for the night shoot."

When it was time for the night shoot, we were pretty confident that our new bobo-proof lineup would work.

The range was pitch dark, save the targets which were barely illuminated..

I took aim and realised we were in deep shit.

I couldn't see the target.

Took five shots and landed one.

Meepok: "Section! NBCB! I can't see the LC moving target! "

Chee, the storeman: "ah? the target come out already meh?"

Meepok: "Fxxx you lah! 5 came out already lah. 3 big ones and 2 small ones."

All 6 of us each had 10 more bullets (with 60 targets left) and we needed to hit another 20 targets to pass.

The rate we were going, we'd be lucky to get 5.

Bobo2 (a lawyer, in a queen's english accent): "Meepok! By jove !! i really can't see the KNN LC small target much less Fxxking shoot it."

Meepok: "Ok, Men! most of you can see the nah beh big target right?"

Men: "agak agak can lah..."

Meepok: " agak can liao. Fxxk the small target. use all your CB bullets on big targets only. make sure u hit all the big ones.BoBos, when pple fire, you also point forward and fire. maybe with some luck, you'll fxxking hit something."

I'm always amazed by the mismatch of army and civilian roles and responsibilities.

One of my men is called Jimmy.

Jimmy is a grossly overweight (135kg) 40 year old who drives to camp in a mercedes 500.

He owns his own company and runs a pretty profitable biz.

His last declared income to the tax authorities (IRAS) was $600k.

Jimmy's role in my military unit?

Mini truck driver.

I'm surprised he gets called up.

The army must compensate his loss of income during the in camp.

1 Jimmy = 20 ah beng reservist drivers.

I question the logic behind this decision.

However, i don't mind having Jimmy as my unit driver.

He is humble, funny and affable, despite being a multi, multi millionaire.

When the going gets tough in the field/jungle, one phone call from Jimmy to his kar kia (staff) will ensure that a kfc laden jaguar or bmw is sent to our deployment location to 'reinforce our stomach's defense'.

Here are some of the other mismatches in my unit (red = army role)

Investment banker - signaler

Graphic / fashion designer - rifleman

SGX trader - driver

Lawyer - demolition man

Chef – unit clerk

Insurance manager - sentry (half awake one, I must admit)

Recently, I was allocated a new storeman, Chee

No, we don't run NTUC supermarket during our reservist.

Chee's the guy who keeps track of our training equipment and ensures their security.

Meepok: "Chee, good job on the combat exercise. You did a great job supporting the men with the equipment. Couldn't have done it without you."

Chee: "Eh, tankew you (ie. xiexie ni) don't like that say. i just doing my job. Brudder brudder, must help each other."

Meepok: "Steady lah. you si peh on! Hey, By the way, what you do outside ah?."